Moscow [Russia], March 15 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday demanded that Ukrainian forces in Kursk surrender, hours after former US President Donald Trump said he had urged Putin to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in the region, the New York Times reported.

'I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Putin responded in televised remarks, stating, 'For this request to be effectively implemented, the leaders of Ukraine needed to order their military units to lay down their arms and surrender.'

Both Putin and Trump claimed that Ukrainian forces were surrounded in Kursk, the region where Ukrainian troops had conducted a cross-border incursion last summer. However, Ukrainian authorities and independent analysts have disputed these claims. On Friday, Ukraine's military issued a statement saying, 'There is no threat of encirclement of our units,' calling such reports 'false and fabricated by the Russians.'

A Ukrainian soldier fighting in Kursk, speaking anonymously, described the situation as 'bad, almost critical,' but said it was not as dire as Trump had suggested.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave no indication that Ukrainian troops would surrender but acknowledged that the situation was challenging. 'The situation is very difficult,' he said. He accused Putin of working to sabotage diplomatic efforts, writing on social media, 'Putin cannot get out of this war, because then he will be left with nothing. That is why he is now doing everything possible to sabotage diplomacy, setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions from the very beginning, even before the cease-fire.'

Putin's demand for surrender came after Trump described 'very good and productive discussions' with the Russian leader about a possible cease-fire. 'There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,' Trump wrote on Friday.

The ongoing fighting in Kursk has made the region a focal point in cease-fire negotiations. Russian forces have gained ground in recent days, with Putin urging them to complete their offensive 'in the shortest possible time.'

Meanwhile, the situation has prompted evacuations in Ukraine's Sumy region, which borders Kursk. 'Aerial attacks -- such as glide bombs and drones -- have intensified in the border areas,' said Volodymyr Artiukhin, head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, announcing the mandatory evacuation of eight villages, reported the New York Times.

Despite Ukraine and the United States offering a 30-day unconditional cease-fire, Putin has continued to push for additional demands. The Russian leader signalled that he wanted Ukraine to order its soldiers to surrender as part of any peace deal, a stance he first hinted at on Thursday before making it explicit on Friday.

Putin met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the situation. Following the meeting, Russian and US officials expressed 'cautious optimism' about the ongoing negotiations.

The Kremlin stated that Putin 'passed along information and additional signals for President Trump' through Witkoff. The Russian government also said Putin expected to talk to Trump but that 'the call had yet to be scheduled.'

Dmitri S. Peskov, Putin's spokesman, indicated that the outcome of the diplomatic talks would become clearer after Witkoff briefed Trump. 'After Mr. Witkoff passes along all of the information he received in Moscow to his head of state -- we'll determine the timing of the conversation after that,' Peskov said. 'There's an understanding on both sides that such a conversation is necessary.'

Witkoff, the US special envoy for the Middle East, has also taken on a key role in discussions with Russia. Last month, he met with Putin for three hours while negotiating a prisoner exchange, the New York Times reported.

While Trump expressed optimism about the prospects for peace, US officials remain measured in their outlook. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz told Fox News, 'Of course, both sides are going to have their demands, and of course, both sides are going to have to make some compromises.' (ANI)